When Two Worlds Collide
by getjinxed95
Summary: Mary didn't pay much attention to Rose when she warned her about the ghosts at the French caste but when she encounters Kathleen, depressed and miserable ghost who seemed to get in her head that Mary needs to be protected, she realizes that the world is full of things she doesn't know how to explain. Follow Mary and Kathleen as they uncover the truth about Kathleen's death. (AU)
1. Chapter 1

**A.N.:** Hi. I am going to start with typical Author's note... Firstly I am not a native English speaker so I am very sorry for all grammar and spelling errors. I am looking for a beta though... it would make my writing much better. Then... I am not so sure about the story, read it and tell me if it is interesting enough and if I should continue. Thank you. (Oh.. and a first few chapters will be shorter but as the story progresses they will get longer)

**Chapter one**

Mary was riding a carriage to French curt. She hasn't been there since she was a little girl but she was happy she will get to see her friends from Scotland. She still had Rose's words on her mind about the ghosts hunting around the castle. She wasn't sure if she could believe not because she was still a little girl it was the fact that ghosts couldn't possibly exist.

When her carriage stopped she took few deep breaths in and then exited the carriage. At first she was greeted with the sight of her four dear friends. She was so happy to see them that she forgot about Rose's words about the ghosts and embraced her friends.

Then she turned around and saw the crowd that came to greet her and a moment later the king was announced. He came with his mistress Diane and stopped on the half way towards Mary. Soon after that Sebastian joined them and moved on his mother's side.

For a split second Mary thought she saw someone standing behind Sebastian. A woman looking almost transparent, her skin was unnaturally pale her light blonde hair was one big mess and it looked like she hadn't brushed in a while. But what caught Mary's attention where the woman's sad grey eyes. When the young Queen blinked the woman was gone.

Mary convinced herself that she must had been imagining things because of the long journey and all the excitement and she forgot about the woman when she laid her eyes upon Francis. He was better-looking that she remembered and he even smiled at her.

When the night came and Mary was almost ready to go to the weeding she heard a silent whisper,

"_Mary…" _

Her head snapped up and she carefully looked around her chambers but she didn't see anything out of the order. Frowning she brushed her hair again ignoring the whisper thinking it was just the wind.

"_Mary…" _

There it was again only that this time it was louder and more determined. Mary's eyes glanced at the mirror and she almost screamed and dropped her brush when she saw the woman from the reception standing behind her only that this time she was much closer to her. Queen could see that she was beautiful and around her age. She had dark circles under her eyes and she seemed tired and weak. On her cheeks were small cuts and bruises were even more pronounced because of the paleness of her skin.

Young Queen was frozen on her place and did not dare to move a muscle. She could not even open her mouth let alone say something out laud.

"_Help me…" _came the quiet plea from the women before she was gone and the air got warmer again. Mary let out a shaky breath and put down her brush. If the ghost really existed she was sure she had just met one but somehow she knew that the woman did not want to harm her.

She left sorry for the lost soul and decided to help her as best as she could but she had no idea where to start looking. She knew that first she had to rekindle her friendship with Francis and that was coming along poorly but she was glad that his brother seemed a bit more interested in her friendship than Francis.

Whenever she was around Sebastian she got the same feeling of misery and pain as she did when she saw the pale woman. She wasn't even sure if they were connected or even lived in the same time period but both of them needed help.

Few nights after her first encounter with the apparition Mary was alone in her room again. She had no idea how to communicate with the ghost and a part of her wanted to leave the things be but her curiosity won at the end.

"I know that you are here somewhere" Mary started talking to the empty room "and I also know that you have visited me before, can you do it again because I would like to talk to you?"

For few moments nothing happened and then Mary felt the familiar chill in the air. Instantly she knew that the ghost heard her and did as she asked. Queen turned around and found herself face to face with the nameless ghost. Her grey eyes were staring directly into hers only this time the ghost was quiet. Mary swallowed and started talking,

"You said that you needed my help. I can help you but I don't know anything about you" she stopped and after a short moment added "Maybe you can tell me your name since you already know mine"

Ghost started at her for some time and Mary had begun to wonder if her decision was a smart one but her thoughts were interrupted by the distant and sad whisper,

"_Kathleen_"

"Your name is Kathleen?" Mary asked just to clarify things. You can't be too careful around ghost. When Kathleen nodded Mary continued "My name is Mary as you already know. You said you needed help?"

"_Mary…_" she whispered again "_You are in the same danger as I once was."_

"What do you mean?"

"_The Queen doesn't like the people she can't control" _Kathleen replied with the tone that sent chills down Mary's spine.

"You mean Queen Catherine?" Kathleen nodded shortly and turned to leave when Mary hurried after her "Wait don't go I still don't know how to help you"

"_There isn't anything you can do to help me yet" _Kathleen replied "_Just don't drink the wine"_

"You are the second person who said this to me today" Mary said quickly getting frustrated with the cryptic ghost but it was in vain because Kathleen was already gone.

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Mary thought that it was her fault that they had executed Colin and she was feeling horrible because of it and on the top of that Lola hated her. She was her best friend and now she didn't even want to see Mary who tried her hardest to sort things out.

"_I see you remembered not to drink the wine"_

Mary jumped and turned around to see Kathleen looking at her with familiar sad expression.

"You knew about the sleeping potion, how?"

"_I see many things" _Kathleen said "_But most of all I know French Queen and I can guess what she will do next. Beware of her and her allies that are still to come"_

Mary thought about her words but once again they didn't give her anything concrete and Kathleen confused her more by seconds that passed.

"You are really secretive you know"

"_So I have been told many times"_ ghost agreed with distant pain in her eyes. Mary wanted to know more about her but she didn't want to seem too pushy on the subject "_I almost forgot how I miss having these conversations"_

"You don't speak with other people?" Mary asked and Kathleen shook her head "Why?"

"_Why don't you tell me? I know that you are smart enough to figure it out on your own"_

Mary did as the ghost suggested and after few seconds she was pretty sure why Kathleen didn't speak with people often.

"They don't see you, do they?"

Kathleen nodded and her expression got even sadder if that was even possible. Mary felt the lump in her throat when she asked, "But how come that I see you?"

"_You are different" _Kathleen answered before Mary could take offence of her words she added "_You and I are similar and I think that our paths are intertwined though I wish I could speak with… other people" _

She said other people with such misery that shook Mary from head to toes. She had no idea how a ghost can have such an impact on a human being. Carefully the Queen suggested,

"Maybe I can speak with whomever you want to talk to"

Kathleen's lips turned downwards and she shook her head and then replied with simple,

"_No" _awkward silence followed. Mary didn't know what to say to make her new friend feel better and Kathleen looked lost in her thoughts but at the end she broke the silence "_It is bad enough to watch him be so sad all the time. I do not wish to bring him more saddens. He has to move on if he possibly can maybe it is too late for…"_

"To late for what?"

Kathleen's eyes focused back on Mary. There was something else in her grey eyes this time. Along the pain there was maybe a spark of hope? Mary wasn't entirely sure.

"_It is no time for you to know"_

"Kathleen… I want to help you" Mary insisted but the ghost shook her head once again.

"_No. You will get the chance to help me but not now. Right now is my job to keep you alive and well"_

"I am sorry for my bluntness but you are a ghost and how can I know that I am not going crazy because I am the only one who can see you"

Kathleen raised her eyebrow and sounded little offended when she replied,

"_I wouldn't doubt in my abilities if I were you. I am the only one who you can completely trust right now and friendly advice for the future, there is almost nothing you can hide from me I know that you are blaming yourself for the death of that boy. You shouldn't"_

Mary was looking at her with wide eyes having absolutely no idea how on the world Kathleen knew what she did.

"His name was Colin…"

For a split second there was a trace of compassion on Kathleen's face but it was gone as fast as it came,

"_And he was also your best friend's boyfriend and you think she hates you now?" _when Mary nodded and wiped a tear from her cheek Kathleen continued "_Lola doesn't hate you she is just sad though that word is an understatement of the feeling she is feeling right now" _

Once again Mary had the feeling that Kathleen spoke of first had experience but the Queen didn't bother to ask about it because she knew that Kathleen wouldn't answer her question.

"_Give her some time to heal and she will come around. Friendship like this is hard to destroy or throw away" _

"Thank you" Mary smiled feeling much better than at the start of their conversation. Then she remembered the other person who warned her about the wine "Kathleen, you weren't the only one who knew about the wine"

"_Clarissa" _Kathleen breathed quietly.

"You know her? Is she like you?"

"_She is… different than me but if she helps you this can only mean one thing. You are just the person I was looking for now I am certain of it"_

"Does this mean you are going to tell me more?"

"_Sadly no. My plan is staying the same" _Kathleen rejected her with softer tone "_You should go to bed your grace. You have busy weeks waiting for you"_

Kathleen wanted to leave but Mary stopped her just in time, "No don't leave yet. I feel so alone here do you think you can stay with me for a little while more?"

With hesitation Kathleen agreed,

"_I can stay if you promise to go to bed and try to get some sleep. I will watch over you I promise you that" _

"I believe you" Mary replied with complete sincerity "And thank you for staying"

Mary got in her bed after she blew out the candles in her room. Kathleen was now sitting next to her bed and she was surrounded by the dim light and looked more like a ghost than with the lights lit up. Kathleen brushed over her hair and it felt like a cold breeze which gave are a sense of safety. While she was looking over her Kathleen hummed old lullabies with the most beautiful voice Mary had the chance to hear.

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**Thank you for reading and I hope you liked it... tell me if I should continue. **

P.S.: Looking for beta (PM me or something)


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for all the support and I am sorry I kept you waiting so long. **

**Chapter two**

"_You are in a hurry today" _Kathleen observed when she Mary burst through the door. The Queen twitched slightly because Kathleen's sudden appearance startled her,

"You should not do this if you want me to live and make sure whatever you are planning to succeed"

"_Do what?"_

"Scaring me to death every time you appear from nowhere"

Kathleen frowned slightly and asked with a bit confused tone,

"_I am a ghost am I not? It is my job to scare and hunt people" _then she stopped and added with a tone that almost resembled amusement _"You should have seen the baker's boy when I knocked over the glass. He looked absolutely terrified"_

"You are horrible" Mary shook her head and opened her closet searching for what she could wear "You should not scare people like this"

"_What about those that I do not like?"_

Mary glanced at her ghostly friend and replied,

"Even the people you don't like. You shouldn't sink on their level you know" then she got back to searching for the right dress to wear for the journey towards the French coastline. Kathleen sighed and admitted,

"_Yes, I see you may be right but sometimes you have to get your hands dirty. Even a person with such high place as you will have to get her hands dirty at some point" _

Mary didn't bothered to look at Kathleen when she responded to her prediction,

"I am aware of that and I intend to make sure that I do all in power to avoid becoming like Catherine someday"

"_I do hope you can manage that"_

Queen did not reply to Kathleen's comment she rather disappeared behind her changing screen and got dressed in more comfortable clothes. While she was changing she could feel Kathleen moving around the room and humming some strange melody but Mary instantly liked the song even if she didn't know where it came from.

"_So.. you are going to greet the littlest French prince's future bride?" _Kathleen asked when she was done with the song. By the tone of her voice Mary assumed that she was interested where she was going. When she stepped in her shoes and adjusted her dress she replied,

"Yes I am and Francis is going with me"

"_Of course" _Kathleen nodded then she changed the tone of her voice to more serious _"Can you promise me one thing?"_

"Okay… tell me what you need"

"_Just make sure you have all the facts before you decide to act or attack"_

Mary frowned because Kathleen's words didn't make much sense to her but she was getting used to her cryptic messages,

"_I _suppose you won't explain it to me if I ask what your warning means"

"_You are right. I decided to help you but there are still things you need to do or discover by yourself besides that I am not all knowing even if it looks that way"_

"Can't you at least give me a hint?"

"_Nope" _Kathleen shook her head and disappeared into nothing before Mary's eyes. Young Queen sighed when her unusual friend was gone and focused back on her preparations for the trip.

She didn't get the full meaning of Kathleen's warning until later that day when Sebastian stopped Francis from attacking the English men who disembarked on the French coast. They apparently came in peace and if Francis had attacked them France would be in a war before the sunset.

When they were back at the castle Francis disappeared somewhere, leaving Mary and Sebastian alone on the courtyard before the palace. Sebastian knit his eyebrows and asked,

"Mary do you feel well? You look pale to me?"

With a corner of her eye Mary saw the shape of Kathleen appear by Sebastian's shoulder and the Queen tried very hard not to look at her when she answered,

"I am fine, but I am thankful for your concern it is good to have at least one friend back. Francis has been strangely estranged since I came back"

Kathleen's face betrayed pain and something else which Mary couldn't read but she could see her friend looking at Sebastian with something that looked like affection or even love.

"He will get over whatever is bothering him" Sebastian replied "He is probably still affected by…"

He stopped while his face when blank expressing nothing. Mary bit her lip not knowing what to say because she had the feeling she was standing on a thin ice which was about to brake.

"He is still mourning after my wife… not that I blame him. I haven't come to terms with it myself" Sebastian managed to say before he went quiet again. Mary's eyes widened and she glanced at Kathleen who looked even more miserable than before and back to Bash, connecting the dots.

"I am truly sorry" she apologized "I didn't know"

"I don't blame you… if it weren't for Alex I don't know what I would do. Kathleen was the center of our lives and when she died…"

Mary put her hand on his shoulder in a friendly gesture of comfort,

"If there is anything I can you, just say the word and it will be done"

"Thank you" Sebastian nodded "Just go easy on Francis he knew her longer than I did and she was his best friend for a long time"

"I will I promise" Mary reassured him and then asked "If you don't mind me asking, I assume Alex is your son but I haven't seen him around?"

There was a weak smile on Sebastian's face when he answered,

"He is traveling around with my mother. I figured that he needs something to occupy him and things got quite depressive here"

"I can only imagine but when he is back I would like to meet him"

"Of course" he nodded and there was still a ghost of a smile on his face "I am sure he will like you straight away"

Mary smiled warmly and then let him leave inside probably looking for Francis or someone else to take his thoughts off his dead wife. When he was out of sight Mary turned around expecting to see Kathleen standing behind her but she wasn't. Queen could see her few yards away walking through the garden with stone expression on her face.

Mary joined Kathleen on her walk through the beautiful garden. There was a silence between them because Mary did not know what to say and Kathleen looked like she was lost in her own world. After a short time Mary broke the silence,

"You could have told me that you were once married to Bash maybe I could have help somehow"

Kathleen shook her head and stopped walking forcing Mary to stop walking as well.

"_There is little, almost nothing, you can do for me right now and Bash is better off not knowing that I still linger around I know that he finds peace in knowing that I have gone off to a better place and if he knew that I am still stuck here… let's just say that I wouldn't help him to move on"_

"You don't know that" Mary argued with soft voice "Maybe that is exactly what he needs to move on and get some closure. By the lack of details I assume that details of your death are not well known"

She saw a corner of Kathleen's lips twitch before she answered,

"_Everyone knows the official story not even I remember what exactly happened to me that night" _she paused and closed her grey eyes before she continued _"My family and friends were told that I was killed by the bandits that kidnaped me. They never got my body back and I can feel that something is off…"_

"French court is a deadly place to live" Mary sighed "I would rather live with the nuns like I did before I came here. It was much more peaceful and quiet… I didn't have to worry about being stabbed in the back"

"_You don't have to worry about it. I am watching over you and if someone wants to hurt you they will meet a terrible end"_

Mary's lips turned in a smile,

"Thank you. You don't know how good it feels to have someone that I can trust completely. Someone that wouldn't judge me because of who I am and treat me like an equal"

"_I know what you mean" _Kathleen agreed with warm voice "_I only wish I knew you when I was still alive" _

Mary nodded her head and dropped her eyes on the bush of still closed roses. Before Kathleen dissolved into nothing she touched the roses and the second her fingers connected with the closed bud it blossomed. Mary's eyes widened but Kathleen was gone before the Queen could ask her what happened.

Later that night, when Mary was getting ready for bed she was looking around the room and waiting for Kathleen to appear form nowhere as always, but her elusive friend never showed up. For a moment she even thought that something might had happened to her but then she remembered that Kathleen was a ghost and you can't kill a person two times.

With a sigh of disappointment the Queen climbed on her bed and was ready to blow out the candles when she remembered that she can try one more thing. She put down the candle and called,

"Kathleen? Where are you, I really need to speak with you"

She waited for few moments before a cold breeze filled the air around her and seconds later she saw Kathleen standing beside her bed looking even sadder than before. Her grey eyes were tired and she had dark circles under her eyes.

"_What do you need of me Mary?"_

Mary blinked not sure what to say but she quickly found a simple explanation,

"I wanted to see how you were doing; this afternoon can't have been the easiest for you"

"_No it wasn't but I am fine. You shouldn't trouble yourself with my well-being when you have a lot on your mind"_

"You always know what I am thinking about don't you?"

"_Yes I have a pretty good idea and I am only confirming your own suspicions. You must be wary of the Queen. Never turn your back at her because she will stab you if such chance offers itself to her" _

Mary frowned and thought about what Kathleen had said. Ghost seemed to know almost everything that went around the castle yet she was cryptic about her advices. Mary knew she should count herself lucky that Kathleen even spoke with her.

"I know what you mean I am not ready to trust the Queen or anyone at the French court just yet"

"_A wise choice which will probably keep you alive for a little longer" _Kathleen agreed. She hadn't moved from the spot for whole time they talked but if Mary thought about it she rarely saw her move around.

"Thank you for being here for me. It really means a lot"

"_You are welcome but don't fool yourself, I am doing this for myself too. It is not just you at stake here" _

Mary raised her eyebrows but she wasn't offended with the lack of politeness in Kathleen's words. Sugar-coating the truth wasn't her style.

"This is about the plan you don't want to share with me, right?"

"_Yes. Not that I don't want to it is just… I can't share it with you yet. First we must find something more about how I died and where my body stayed" _

"How are we going to accomplish that? I figured out that you are a bit of a sore subject around here. Not many people want to talk about you"

Kathleen looked right in Mary's eyes and the Queen could swear that she saw a tiny sparkle in Kathleen's eyes before the ghost replied,

"_That is not entirely true. My mother in law is coming back next week and with her we shall start"_

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**I hope you like it and thank you for reading. **


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